Somebody's Watching Me

"Somebody's Watching Me" is the debut single by R&B artist Rockwell, released on the Motown label in 1984 (see 1984 in music). The single features guest vocals from Michael and Jermaine Jackson, and the song's lyrics express a fear of being followed and watched.

History

Original recording

Rockwell is the son of Motown CEO Berry Gordy, Jr. The singer had himself signed to Motown without his father's knowledge. The elder Gordy did not find out that Rockwell was his son Kennedy until after the single and the accompanying Somebody's Watching Me album were released.

Produced by Curtis Anthony Nolen, "Somebody's Watching Me" peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984, and reached the top of the Billboard R&B singles chart, as well as reaching number six on the UK Singles Chart. Some of the song's success was derived from the presence of Michael Jackson's recognizable voice on the chorus. The Jacksons were one of the last elements added to the recording. Producer Curtis Anthony Nolen with Rockwell in the passenger seat drove his Mercedes 380 SL to pick Michael up at his parent’s compound in Encino, California. Michael brought no security and rode in the back seat doing his best to stay out of view of passing cars. Michael was a complete professional and completed his vocals in a little under an hour. "Out of all the artists I've worked with over the years, Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder:(who Nolen asked to sing back round vocals on Rockwell’s song “Cobra”) are the most prolific. “They'd tell the engineer to stop the tape and ask for another take if they made a mistake”. Michael was very kind and gracious, he stayed until the end of the recording process and along with Randy and Jermaine posed for pictures with Curtis Nolen’s wife and Rockwell’s girlfriend at the time. It was the only major hit for Rockwell. His follow-up single, "Obscene Phone Caller", was Rockwell's only other Top 40 single, reaching #35 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Music video

The single's music video underscores the song's paranoia theme with a haunted house-inspired theme, including imagery of floating heads, ravens, graveyards, and shower scenes referencing the film Psycho. The mailman who appears in the music video for "Somebody's Watching Me" also stars in the video for "Obscene Phone Caller" as a paparazzi reporter.

Cover versions

The song was covered by several artists, such as Raunchy, Beatfreakz, Jeffree Star (under the title "Starstruck"), DJ Bobo, T.O.K., Toby Mac, and Warmen among others.

References

External links